I was walking around the city today, in between daygame approaches, and I had a few moments where my thoughts melted away.
I was just looking at the street around me, feeling the air, enjoying the buildings and the summer light.
I was what you might call “present.”
Now over the past 10-15 years I’ve gotten really tired of this worn-out word. I’m tired of the big and unsupported promises that are made for mindfulness and being present.
But still, there is a lot of value in trying to be a little more present if you are doing daygame. For example, in overcoming approach anxiety, or what I tend to suffer from, approach resistance.
Not that you cannot approach if you’re not present.
But almost by definition, anxiety happens by imagining the future.
And so if you are present, you won’t get anxiety. Simple as that.
So how do you get more present and stop thinking about the future?
Well, you beat yourself whenever you notice your thoughts wondering off. “STOP IT!” you say to yourself.
And you find some local thing to focus your thoughts on instead. Of course, it won’t work. Not this time. And probably, not the next time, either. But over a longer period, you might find yourself thinking about the future less, and therefore feeling less anxious.
And therefore approaching more easily.